The Essential Sanātana-dharma - Unity in Variety, Hinduism in Practice

Unity in Variety

Humans differ from one another in many ways: physical, intellectual, moral, social, cultural, etc. There are inherent temperamental differences in people. If we do not take into account these differences while prescribing a certain path to lead a good life—and instead offer a single formula to all, it will only lead to incompatibility. Moreover, it is this variety in human beings that makes them valuable to one another.

While many religions and ideologies claim that there is only one right goal and only one right path to reach that goal (which is typically blind acceptance of their view), an extreme anarchist position is that there are many goals and many paths, without hierarchy of any kind. Sanātana-dharma states that the goal is one (Self-realization or Bliss) but the paths are many, depending on the calibre of the seeker.

This distinction between individuals who are in different stages of spiritual evolution is termed ‘adhikāri-bheda.’ Simply put, an adhikārī is a person who has a certain qualification. And according to his situation, the path is prescribed.

For instance, when we embark on a journey to reach a certain destination, if we plan to walk, there might be an ideal route; however, if we are riding a bicycle, a different route may be prescribed; and if we are driving a truck, a totally different route may be the only possible one to reach our destination.

Hinduism boldly declares that the state of Bliss can be achieved by anyone irrespective of their backgrounds^[1]—but the prescribed paths are different, keeping in mind the individual limitations.^[2]

We have already seen the example of the paths of devotion, selfless action, and wisdom/awareness. In fact, there are many more—as many as the circumstances of the people. At the individual level, the ultimate goal is unity—finding oneness with the Brahman—and not uniformity. At the societal level, the ultimate goal is equity—equal opportunities given to everyone for raising their standards—and not equality (in the sense of equal outcomes).

Hinduism in Practice

Hindu sects are many and they often follow their own set of traditions and customs. While these customs seem divergent, they have an underlying unity. Hinduism has a lot of freedom and openness with regard to the beliefs, practices, and philosophies of its followers. Take the simple example of belief in a Supreme Being: some Hindus believe in a single deity while some others believe in many; some believe in the Supreme Being with a form while others believe in a Supreme that transcends form; a few others are even agnostics. What is noteworthy is that not only is this tolerated but is sanctioned by the various foundational works that declare: In whatever form one chooses to worship the Supreme in good faith, his faith is further strengthened.^[3]

Over the years, there have been innumerable practices; when the best practices are organized and passed on to the following generations, it becomes a custom. Over a long period of time, customs get crystallized into tradition.

Hinduism offers ample opportunity for the customization to the needs of individuals, families, and the society at large.

We may equate the term ‘custom’ to paramparā (‘uninterrupted series,’ ‘one following the other,’ ‘successive,’ ‘repeated,’ etc.) and the term ‘tradition’ to sampradāya (‘traditional knowledge,’ ‘traditional handing down of instruction,’ ‘system of religious teaching,’ etc.)

We can visualize paramparā as a scalar quantity and sampradāya as a vector quantity.

Paramparā is what has come down to us; we have faith in it. Sampradāya represents the essential best practices that have been preserved by tradition; we can realize its value.

We start with belief (a child believes his parents and completely depends on their judgment) and slowly graduate to value (as the child grows up and learns more, he can make independent decisions).

Tradition has at its core a governing philosophy. For those who understand the underlying precept, tradition becomes a value and they can joyfully participate in the customs. They see the custom as a re-enactment of something wonderful that took place in the past or a concrete depiction of the cosmic play. For those who are not aware of the intrinsic philosophy, the tradition may become a burden when they lose the emotional connection with the rite. At the same time, it is utter foolishness to altogether discard all customs because tradition represents time-tested practices that can protect us. Why reinvent the wheel?

Whether we want to perceive tradition as fetters that bind or as an armour that protects is left to us.

Customs are restricted by space and time—if they violate the intrinsic philosophy, they can always be discarded and newer practices can take their place. In fact, if we are natural and open-minded, we will allow customs to change as the society changes.

Customs may be seen as accessories to rituals, which come under tradition. A ritual is formal and is accompanied by mantra whereas customs are informal and are directed by the local situation and needs. Naturally ritual is deeper than custom.

Let us take the example of a wedding. The mantras recited at a Hindu wedding are from seven thousand years ago and some of the rituals are at least a few millennia old but the diverse customs change over time and across geographies. The fun activities, games, food, songs, dance, photography sessions, etc. change with both place and time.

To draw parallels from music, if ritual is equated to a performance of a classical rāga*, customs can be equated to the popular version, like a film song, based on that rāga.

At the heart of all customs and traditions lies the feeling of reverence towards the universe. This reverence arises out of gratitude and manifests as worship.^[4]

The earliest form of worship was Nature worship as can be seen in the poignant mantras of the Veda. This represents an offering to the forces or elements of nature that can be perceived by our senses.

In addition to the worship of such a concrete form, our ancient people also cultivated the worship of the abstract.^[5] The idea was to transition from concrete to abstract to transcendence.

An image or an icon represents the concrete form of worship while a symbol represents the abstract form.^[6] We find both in parallel, without any mutual opposition. For example, Viṣṇu is worshipped as a śālagrāma stone and as an icon or image (mūrti) depicting him with four arms holding a discus, mace, etc. Similarly śiva is worshipped as a bāṇaliṅga stone and also as an icon depicting him as Naṭarāja.

While the nine forms of bhakti are employed in the worship of the concrete, the path of upāsana is used for the worship of the abstract.^[7]

In the traditional sixteen-fold worship, the steps that are followed to exhibit our gratitude and respect to the Supreme is just like how we treat a revered guest visiting our house – by inviting them inside, offering them a chair, giving water to wash their feet, offering water to drink, making arrangements for their bath, giving them clothes or a towel, giving them an unguent or perfume, offering them food to eat, and so on.^[8]